NOVEL NEXT Chapter 55
Chapter 55
In Nahun’s office, Lin El Lazine had come to visit today. Due to Seere, who had taken on more work, returning military authority to Nahun, Lin needed to report to him.
Nahun spoke while reviewing the report from Lin and the results of the selection exam.
“The deployment will be… 15,000 troops in the 6th Legion and 5,000 in the 7th Legion.”
“Understood.”
“I will assign Rexion and Murciela to the 6th Legion, and Celestia and Erina as officers in the 7th Legion.”
In the selection exam results, Celestia claimed first place, Rexion, from the High Orc race, came in second, while Erina and Murciela secured third and fourth, respectively. Lin listened to Nahun’s words and asked him.
“Is there an intention behind such separation? The number of soldiers you’re deploying differs.”
“The ones I’ve nominated as officers for the 7th Legion are all soldiers under your command, aren’t they?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Both Celestia and Erina were elite soldiers from the 4th Legion, each regarded as the 3rd and 4th strongest after Lin and Baruna.
“I’m trying to create an elite army similar to yours, Commander.”
“Ah.”
“Having been in the 4th Legion for a long time, they should know well how to train the soldiers.”
“Celestia and Erina should know what to do; they are quite competent.”
“Having you say that gives me more confidence. Then let’s proceed with the deployment… we can fill any vacant spots in the 4th Legion with suitable talents later. We aren’t short on manpower right now, are we?”
“Understood.”
Nahun paused for a moment. Was he contemplating something? Lin calmly waited for Nahun to speak. After a while, Nahun opened his mouth.
“Commander Lin.”
“Yes, Nahun.”
“As the acting military authority…”
“Yes.”
Nahun gave Lin an order.
“Identify the patrol schedule of the soldiers guarding the 67th floor boundary.”
“Patrol schedule, you say?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
While following the order, Lin felt puzzled inwardly. Why was he suddenly asking about the patrol schedule of the soldiers on the 67th floor? Attempting to think about the reason on her own…
‘…It doesn’t seem like there is a clear reason.’
Connecting it to the current situation of Seere’s forces, there was no plausible reason. Although she couldn’t fathom Nahun’s thoughts, Lin had no intention of ignoring his command.
Nahun’s plans had always led to successful outcomes. With anticipation about what kind of display he would show against the demon lord Belial of the 67th floor, Lin bowed her head.
“I’ll investigate as quickly as possible.”
“Good.”
After Lin left the office, Nahun pressed his index finger against his brow. It was quite a headache for someone who wasn’t a strategist to devise a strategy. If this were a game, he could leisurely choose from the options provided in the game…
‘There’s no one here to present me with such options…’
He had to rack his brain based on the experiences he had accumulated over several playthroughs. Nonetheless, he believed he had come up with a fairly decent plan.
‘Why don’t I have that status window like the ones that always appear when I possess a game character?’
Feeling a bit of unfairness, Nahun sighed and slightly let out some magic power. Then, a dark mist enveloped behind him, and a small white whale emerged. The tiny white whale tilted its head as it looked at Nahun.
“Bbu?”
“I need you to do some work.”
Nahun’s plan was, in essence, to use Leviathan. However, just as he had done on the 68th floor, he didn’t intend to devour everything with Leviathan.
“This time, let’s eat just enough.”
He thought of taking a moderate amount.
—
On the 69th floor, Citri arrived feeling somewhat flustered.
“Teacher, how’s the aroma? I brought some new tea leaves.”
“Mm, it’s good.”
Nahun had been relaxing, not doing much. He had shared tea with Seere. Citri was surprised to see such a scene since she had come to discuss the strategy for conquering the 67th floor.
“Ah, welcome, Your Highness Citri.”
“Hello, Citri.”
Seeing him so relaxed somehow made her feel inexplicably irritated. Citri looked at him for a moment, then said with an incredulous expression.
“So, what’s the plan for instilling fear in them?”
“Oh, that matter? We’ll have to wait a bit.”
“What?”
“I need to receive a report from Commander Lin before we can begin.”
“What are you trying to do?”
Nahun gestured for her to take a seat. As Citri sat down, Seere instructed Cecili, who had been waiting nearby, to serve tea. When Citri’s cup was filled, Nahun offered tea to her.
“Please, have some.”
“Why are you changing the subject?”
“Do not worry; I’ll explain everything.”
“…Okay.”
Citri lifted her cup and took a sip. Nahun smiled slightly and asked.
“How does it taste?”
“…It’s delicious. But do you have something to gain from this? Why are you being so kind to me?”
“Oh, you’re quick to pick up on things.”
“What is it? You’re not asking me to lend you my name again, are you?”
“That’s not it. This time, I’d like you to keep a secret.”
“A secret?”
Instead of answering, Nahun showed her directly. When he let out some magic power, Citri gasped and exclaimed.
“W-Why are you suddenly letting out magic? Is this the time for training!?”
“No? I need to show you something.”
As Nahun spoke, the black mist behind him swelled. Then, a pure white whale began to appear.
“Uh… huh!?”
“You probably saw it once before.”
The huge whale slowly revealed itself, then suddenly shrank, as if it were a doll. It climbed onto the table and turned its head back and forth, looking at Seere and Citri alternately.
“This little one is cute, Teacher.”
“Isn’t it?”
“It looks like the doll you gave me.”
“Now that you mention it, it does.”
Unlike Seere, who found the little whale cute, Citri did not share the same sentiment. She already had rather unpleasant memories associated with this whale. Remembering her first encounter with Nahun, Citri shuddered slightly.
“W-Was it not an illusion?”
“An illusion? No, it’s real.”
“R-Really? That monster…?”
“It’s the one I carry around. I plan to use this creature in our operation. So, Your Highness, you must not disclose anything about it.”
Citri swallowed hard, feeling tense. Despite its small and cute appearance, the overwhelming magic and terrifying aura this whale emanated made it something that even a seasoned demon lord like Citri couldn’t afford to underestimate.
‘What on earth is this thing…?’
Nahun’s identity became increasingly intriguing to Citri. She looked at him with a hint of wariness. Nahun chuckled lightly and said.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you think I’d eat you?”
It was troubling because it felt like he could.
“Do not worry. I won’t be the one to break the alliance. It’s just that you shouldn’t betray me.”
“Wh-Why would I do that?”
“That’s my way of saying to not worry. Anyway, I’m going to use this beast in the operation.”
“…How?”
In response to Citri’s question, Nahun simply explained.
“Didn’t I say we’ll lower the soldiers’ morale?”
“…Yes, you did.”
“I plan to use this creature to devour the patrolling soldiers. Commander Lin is currently investigating the patrol times on the 67th floor.”
“Wait, then Belial will catch on to who’s behind this?”
“How would he catch on?”
“What? He’ll obviously be devoured and return here.”
“Well, he just has to not return, right?”
Citri blinked in surprise. Nahun gently stroked the white whale on the table, Leviathan, and said.
“It’s much stronger than it looks. It can definitely hold its own on the 67th floor.”
“…Then wouldn’t that be enough to conquer it?”
“I did think about that, but I found a significant issue.”
Having experienced its power on the 68th floor, Nahun realized that using Leviathan to conquer a layer left nothing behind. The soldiers on the 68th floor had all been wiped out, and even now, the land ravaged by Leviathan couldn’t be used because it hadn’t been restored.
“So, I will only use this creature to create chaos and to diminish the strength of some of the troops. The conquest will happen through war afterward.”
“…Alright, I understand.”
“The operation will commence as soon as Commander Lin’s report comes in. In the meantime, Your Highness, please train the troops and prepare for war.”
Citri nodded and then wanted to discuss rewards.
“What will happen if we conquer the 67th floor? How will we divide the spoils?”
“This time, we will occupy the Demon King Castle.”
“Sure, I didn’t expect you to give that up.”
“Like with the 70th floor, I’ll offer you half the layer. Also, all materials and soldiers will be split evenly, 50-50.”
Citri seemed slightly surprised; Nahun’s proposal was quite generous.
“Is that really okay?”
“It’s an investment for maintaining our alliance in the future. You, Your Highness Citri, will eventually regain your strength. When that happens, it will be a significant help for us.”
As Nahun raised her spirits, Citri smiled, seemingly pleased.
“Hehe, is that so?”
“However, Your Highness, you must be well-prepared. This time, a bloodless entry like at the 70th floor will not be possible.”
“I understand. I’m prepared for that much. Since it’s Belial’s army leading, even if morale is low, it wouldn’t be easy.”
At that moment, Seere glanced at Citri for a moment. Then she slightly nodded and spoke to her.
“I’m counting on you, Citri.”
“Yes?… Ah, yes. Of course, Seere.”
Citri was taken aback. It had been a long time since Seere had spoken to her like that after growing up; today felt different. Even when Nahun jokingly commented, she didn’t glare at him fiercely.
‘Something… has changed?’
Though she didn’t know the details, it was a good thing for Citri. It meant she wouldn’t have to feel that uncomfortably heavy gaze anymore.
Seeing Seere greet her so warmly reminded her of years past. Citri felt as if she had caught a glimpse of the cute Seere from back then and smiled contentedly as she stood up.
“Well then, I need to prepare too, so I’ll be going now. The tea was delightful.”
“Where are you going?”
“Huh?”
“Since you’re here, why don’t you do some training that you missed?”
“Uh…?”
As those words concluded, Nahun’s magic enveloped the area. Of course, after taking measures to ensure that Seere and Cecili wouldn’t be affected. As a result, only Citri collapsed to the floor.
Crash!
“You…!!”
“Now, let’s get you walking again.”
—
In Area A of the boundary on the 67th floor, three soldiers from Belial’s forces were patrolling. Despite the early morning hour, they were alert and vigilant.
“…Hmm?”
“What’s wrong, Duke?”
“Nothing….”
The soldier called Duke turned around, sensing something unusual. It was still early dawn, and since the sunlight had yet to reach fully, darkness enveloped the area.
“Is there something over there?”
“I felt a strange presence.”
“Let’s check it out.”
It could potentially be enemy forces intruding on the boundary region or spies. The brave soldiers drew their swords and, without hesitation, stepped into the darkness. They would soon regret that decision.
“…Huh?”
As they stepped into the darkness, they spotted a whale in the dim light. It was an entirely white whale. As soon as they saw it, their bodies froze in fear.
“W-What is that…?”
The instinctive terror that washed over them was overwhelming. Although they were well-trained soldiers of Belial, fear filled their minds. Their bodies, against their will, stood rigid as if they had become prey facing a predator.
“B-My body… won’t move….”
The harbinger of doom, Leviathan.
Seeing one of the most powerful beasts, even the strongest of beings felt the primal fear. The well-trained soldiers could not seem to understand logically why they were so scared, yet they couldn’t take a single step.
The whale slowly opened its mouth. The one that had been small began to grow larger and larger, ultimately becoming so massive it could swallow all three soldiers at once. And it did so with eerie ease.
The dark mist dissipated. All that was left in their place were the helmets of the soldiers.